The Works of Lori Carlson

Tag Archives: romance

Refugee Road is the first book in the Freedom Fighters series, set in an alternate history of a war torn United States. Lizzie lost everything in the war – her mother, sister and her best friend. Now she is a refugee, fighting along side a small band of freedom fighters, led by a man named Darren who is not only the leader, but a vengeful, dangerous man. Along the way, you meet Mal who is like a big brother to Lizzie and Alec, a man she met once before the war and who becomes Lizzie’s whole world. Alec is a member of the militia, the sworn enemy of the refugees.

What I love most about this book is how rich the characters are. Landis has created characters so believable that you cannot help but care about them, even her villains, Darren and Donnovan (who is only a villain for a short while). As much as you want to cheer for Lizzie, Alec and Mal, you also want to see them defeat Darren and Donnovan.

Landis has also done an excellent job with settings. Her descriptions put you right there in each scene, in the cold and dark, shivering in the mud, or warm and safe in a temporary shelter. There is one terrifying scene that she does exceptionally well – when Lizzie is beaten.

I will confess, I do not generally read romances. What set this one apart is the alternate history and dystopia nature of the story. The romantic scenes in the story are sweet in nature. A bit overly mushy, but told in a gentle manner. If you enjoy sweet romances, you will definitely enjoy this one.

My only criticism for this story is that while it began with a lot of action and suspense, it did slack off in the middle. This is probably just my own reaction since I do not read a lot of romances because all the romance happened in the middle. By then end of the book, the action did pick up again.

The last scene in the book is definitely a lead-in to the next book in the series titled Midnight Surrender, which I will now have to read to see how Lizzie gets out of that situation.

I am not going to rate this story negatively just because of the slow, romantic part in the middle. As I said, I don’t normally read romances, so for me, it was slow. For others though, it might actually be the best part of the story.

Linda G. Hill‘s All Good Stories is a light-hearted novella. It is fast-paced, quickly moving the reader from scene to scene with each new chapter. For a quick read, the characters are well-developed, well-described and unique. Linda tells a story within a story within a story. When you read it, you will know what I mean (and you definitely want to read it!)

The two main characters, Xavier and Jupiter are long-time friends. Xavier runs a book store and Jupiter is a writer and works in a gym as a receptionist (near the end of the novella). The other characters are Bob the Blogger, Gloria the waitress, and Harry the Horrible. Xavier and Jupiter’s lives are intermingled with the other three characters in what turns out to be a hilarious, off-the-cuff, near-disastrous story-line. The twists in this story keep you reading and the strange, mega twist in the last few parts of the story will leave you in awe of Linda’s talent as a yarn-spinner.

You won’t find any spoilers here. You must read this one for yourself. It is a delightful, hysterical tale that can be read within an hour or two. Well worth the time!

Hey, everyone! I’m going to keep this short since the excerpt is so long. Seismic Crimes is Book Two in the Disaster Crimes Series and my first novel. To celebrate, I thought I’d entice you *wink* with the
first three pages.

Enjoy! 🙂

EXCERPT:

Beth didn’t die.

The anxious weatherman forecasting Hurricane Sabrina’s arrival was wrong. She didn’t even die at the big, slightly calloused hands of Donovan Goldwyn, as she had thought she would. Accused of killing his brother, Donovan had shown all the signs of being a murderer, but she later realized he wasn’t a killer despite his suspicious mannerisms. Together, they had taken down one of the police officers responsible for killing Donovan’s brother, but one of the killers got away.

Now they were paddling her canoe through the floodwaters leftover from Hurricane Sabrina. Seeing the devastation all around broke Beth’s heart. A tree had fallen onto a house they passed, severing the house in half. She wished they could stop there to see if anyone needed help, but they had to get to the Orlando Police Department as soon as possible.

With great regret and a silent prayer the owners had evacuated, she looked away to see even more destruction. Some houses appeared untouched by Sabrina’s wrath, but many hadn’t been so lucky. Roofs had been ripped off; lawn decorations and furniture, that hadn’t been moved inside, had been thrown everywhere, as if Sabrina had thrown a tantrum. Even a children’s swing set had been knocked over.

Beth looked away from the heartbreaking scene and forced her gaze to stay glued ahead as she paddled with their only oar. In front of her, Donovan used a shovel. As the canoe cut through the water, time blurred.

Her arms and neck were burning with fatigue by the time they reached the police department. Donovan pulled the canoe up the steps and held out his hand to her. Her knees shook as she stood and stepped onto solid ground. Standing in front of Donovan, her hand in his, she looked up at him. She couldn’t imagine the turmoil he was going through inside, but she could see signs of it. His brows were drawn, his eyes streaked with red lightning bolts. She reached up with her free hand and laid it against his cheek.

He put his hand over hers and then pulled her in for a soft kiss. When he inched back, he whispered in her ear, “This may sound crazy, but I love you.”

Beth gazed into his eyes, saw it was true. Her heart twirled in relief.

“I love you, too.” She glanced at the police department. “Are you ready for this?”

His jaw tensed. “Doesn’t matter if I am or not, this needs to be done.”

Hand in hand, they walked inside. Five officers stood near the entrance, guzzling water from bottles and listening to the reports coming in on their radios. A woman manned the front desk. She answered the phone that never stopped ringing. Beth couldn’t imagine how many calls were coming in on the emergency lines. Hundreds of people were probably calling for help, but the police wouldn’t be able to respond to every call, not in their squad cars with this flood. During past hurricanes, the State Emergency Rescue Team went out in trucks and boats to rescue stranded people and they would have to again.

A few civilians, who had to ride out the storm in the department, milled about anxiously. The mingled scents of stale coffee and sweat teased Beth’s nostrils. Large ovals of perspiration spread beneath the officers’ arms and trickled down their backs. They looked as though they were about to dissolve into puddles. Although the generators were working, the A/C was weak, and the air inside the station was more humid than outside.

The officers’ heads swiveled to Donovan and Beth when they stepped through the doors. Their heat-exhausted faces registered surprise.

“Holy shit,” one of them said. “That’s Donovan Goldwyn!”

In the next instant, the five officers rushed toward him, their guns drawn. Donovan put up his hands. Two officers grabbed his arms, wrenching them behind his back to restrain him. “Donovan Goldwyn, you’re under arrest for the murder of Ryan Goldwyn.”

An Internal Affairs Investigator was murdered and his brother, Donovan Goldwyn, was framed. Now Donovan is desperate to prove his innocence. And the one person who can do that is the woman who saved him from a deadly hurricane—Beth Kennedy. From the moment their fates intertwined, passion consumed him. He wants her in his arms. More, he wants her by his side in his darkest moments.

Beth Kennedy may not know everything about Donovan, but she can’t deny what she feels for him. It’s her love for him that pushes her to do whatever she has to do to help him get justice, including putting herself in a criminal’s crosshairs.

When a tip reveals the killer’s location, they travel to California, but then an earthquake of catastrophic proportions separates them. As aftershocks roll the land, Beth and Donovan have to endure dangerous conditions while trying to find their way back to one another. Will they reunite and find the killer, or will they lose everything?

GIVEAWAY:

Chrys Fey is the author of Hurricane Crimes, Book One in the Disaster Crimes series, as well as these releases from The Wild Rose Press: 30 Seconds, Ghost of Death, and Witch of Death. She is an administrator for the Insecure Writer’s Support Group and has participated in the Blogging from April A to Z Challenge.

When Fey was six years old, she realized she wanted to be a writer by watching her mother pursue publication. At the age of twelve, she started writing her first novel, which flourished into a series she later rewrote at seventeen.

Fey lives in Florida and is always on the lookout for hurricanes. She has four adopted cats who keep her entertained with their antics, and three nephews who keep her entertained with their antics. You can connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, and through her blog, Write with Fey. She loves to get to know her readers!